A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing poet Forugh Farrokhzhad, who defied Iranian society to find her voice and her destiny

“Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal.”—Forugh Farrokhzad

All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel—gossiping with her sister among the fragrant roses of her mother’s walled garden, venturing to the forbidden rooftop to roughhouse with her three brothers, writing poems to impress her strict, disapproving father, and sneaking out to flirt with a teenage paramour over café glacé. It’s during the summer of 1950 that Forugh’s passion for poetry really takes flight—and that tradition seeks to clip her wings.

Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh’s poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant; she is heralded by some as a national treasure, vilified by others as a demon influenced by the West. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules—at enormous cost. But the power of her writing grows only stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution.

Inspired by Forugh Farrokhzad’s verse, letters, films, and interviews—and including original translations of her poems—Jasmin Darznik has written a haunting novel, using the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and conflicting desires of a brave woman who represents the birth of feminism in Iran—and who continues to inspire generations of women around the world.

Title

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Song of a Captive Bird

Edition Language

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English

ISBN

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9780399182310

Format Type

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About Jasmin Darznik

Jasmin Darznik is the author of the debut novel Song of a Captive Bird, a fictional account of Iran's trailblazing woman poet, Forugh Farrokhzad, as well as the New York Times bestseller The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother's Hidden Life. Her books have been published or are forthcoming in sixteen countries.

Song of a Captive Bird Reviews

Melissa ? Dog/Wolf Lover ? Martin

I won a copy of this book through one of my book groups. I had NO IDEA how good this book would be. This book is inspired by the life and poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad. She was amazing! She went against...

Brina

Toward the end of last year I joined the moderator team of the group retro chapter chicks. We take part in a variety of historical fiction and nonfiction history group reads and discussions, and are g...

Iran in the mid 20th century was not a fun place to be a woman. A girl’s education stopped when she was fourteen. A lack of virginal blood on a wedding night could send a bride into banishment. And ...

Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader

5 brilliant masterpiece stars to Song of a Captive Bird! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Happy Publication Week to Song of a Captive Bird - available now!The author of Song of a Captive Bird, Jasmin Darznik,...

Fiona

4.5 stars.Forugh Farrokhzad, known simply as Forugh, died in Iran 50 years ago aged 32. Her poetry was banned in Iran in 1979 and her grave is a place of pilgrimage still. At great personal cost, she ...

Nikki (Saturday Nite Reader)

3.5 starsIn Song of a Captive Bird (a beautiful and perfect title), author Jasmin Darznik is the voice for Iranian poet, Forugh Farrokhzad. Forugh - an influential poet of the 20th century - was notor...

Jennifer Blankfein

The beautiful cover of this powerful debut caught my eye and after perusing the summary on the book jacket I was compelled to read and recommend this to one of my book groups. We wanted to focus on st...

Lisa

A mesmerizing story of a brave woman seeking the freedom and independence to write heartfelt and brilliant poetrySUMMARYSong of a Captive Bird is a fictional account of Iran’s most infamous and icon...

Stephanie Anze

"...it was my preference for books and the world inside my head that left me so incapable of accepting the usual and the ordinary. The more I read, the more I longed to let lose the words inside me."F...